Types of Hauntings

To start, It's important to understand what a haunting is. A haunting is a series of unexplained, well documented events associated with the supernatural.In order for a haunting to be considered a haunting, it must be investigated by a professional paranormal research organization, using a combination of techniques, which can include scientific devices, measurements, and documentation from those who experienced the phenomena. The most important aspect of a suspected haunting is discounting anything that can be logically or scientifically explained... debunked or disproven. The following comprises what we believe to be the two primary different types of hauntings. There are possibly more, but these are the generally accepted and most common forms.

Residual HauntingsThis is the most commonly reported style of haunting. The residual haunting is one of the most interesting... and the most discounted by non-believers and scientists. Their very existence is what's so intriguing. The idea of our actions being imprinted in the environment is by itself a hard pill to swallow. But if you read below, we'll tell you how we believe this phenomena occurs. Remember, paranormal investigation, though scientific by nature, is not scientifically proven. What you read here is our theory of Residual Hauntings based on experience and scientific principals.
First and foremost, the theory of residual hauntings has been questioned and shot down many times by scientists and a few select paranormal researchers. A certain paranormal research website has claimed residual hauntings to be scientifically and hypothetically flawed, stating that they are not theoretically possible. This hypothesis seems odd, especially considering that the elements believed to be contained in a residual haunting have been proven by scientific methods. Everyone has their own idea and the subject will probably remain open forever.
In the meantime, here's our own theory:In essence, the theory of a Residual Haunting does at times seem to defy the law of energy and physics. Technically speaking, residual hauntings aren't what we consider "actual" hauntings because there is no human or inhuman interaction involved. But for all purposes, we do refer to it as a haunting because it is paranormal related and does display past events. Residual hauntings are more common than most people think, and this type of phenomena is the most widely reported type of haunting. This is also one of the most fascinating styles of hauntings due to its "film-like" nature, meaning that it has properties of a movie loop being played continuously. So what is it? Residual hauntings are visual or audible films, so to speak, of past events that have been imprinted in the environment by energy. It's not unreasonable to believe they are the result of Residual Emotional Energy Resonance (R.E.E.R.). R.E.E.R. is an extreme emotional experience, closely related to Significant Emotional Experience (S.E.E.), but is typically more powerful. R.E.E.R. is believed to be so powerful that the energy is able to leave an imprint of the event on the surrounding environment. Remember, our mind is the most powerful thing in existence, powerful enough to exert very strong emotions that are absorbed by the environment, especially in a traumatic situation. Residual hauntings may be active all the time or may be triggered by an event, such as added energy of people moving into a previously vacant home. At times, renovations can cause the haunting to become active again, though it is not understood why this happens. When they are noticed, the person witnessing them are usually frightened and can even begin to empathetically feel what the person was feeling at the time of the event.
Here's a somewhat violent scenario:A family had an abusive father/husband. Each night the father would come home after work and began drinking. In a druken rage he would become violent and abuse the mother, then the kids. This pattern continues for years until the mother decides to stand up to him and protect her children. One night the father's drunken rage begins. After he abuses the mother, he starts out for the children's room. The mother follows him with a gun and confronts him; a struggle ensues and the mother shoots and kills the father. This happens in the doorway of the children's room and they witness the entire episode. The father falls into the bedroom and dies at the edge of the children's bed. The extreme rush of fear and grief explodes, imprinting what the children saw and felt in the environment of the home, and the father's emotions when the issue came to a climax. Now let's say 25 years later, a family moves into the home, unaware of the past events. The daughter of the current family occupies the room where the children of the above family watched. Her bed is in the same, or close to the same, location of the bed of children above. One night, the daughter sees a man enter the room and stare at her. Then she watches as the man struggles with a woman, then grabs his chest and falls to the ground. She is struck with fear from seeing the ghost. This continues once a week. After a period of 2 months, her mood and demeanor begins to change. She becomes depressed and sad, which gets worse at night when she sees the haunting.
The above story is an extremely violent version of a residual haunting and may not be the typical reaction from one who witnesses it, but its nature of cause is not uncommon. What's happening is that she is seeing the traumatic event and slowly beginning to feel what the children felt when they saw their father die. This is where the strange empathic phenomenon comes into play. She could do something as simple as move her bed and the feelings could stop, as well as the vision.
Most of the time the phenomena will take place in the area, sometimes the exact spot, in which a sudden accident involving a death has occurred. This could be a fatal automobile accident, a suicide, murder, accidental death or environmentally-caused death, such as a fire, storm, or flood. Death has not always been the end result though. Noted cases exist of residual hauntings taking place in an area or structure where people have been treated horribly, like abuse, confinement or torture. This is one reason why so many residual hauntings exist in prisons or insane asylums. It can also exist in a home where an abuser and victims have been present, like the story above. Although the events that cause a residual haunting are usually tragic in nature, this is not always the case. Reports have surfaced of residual hauntings in historic ballrooms where witnesses have described seeing people dancing, hearing music and smelling scents, such as perfume or cigars, at times when nobody is present. One of those reports came from The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Ca. But the cause, we believe, is the same: An explosive or extremely heightened surge of energy occurs, either pleasant or violent, and imprints the environment.

Intelligent HauntingsThe findings of parapsychology indicate that the entities involved in an Intelligent style haunting appear to possess, in limited scopes, human-like qualities, such as emotions, personalities, thoughts, and actions. They can often appear in human form, just as they were right before their death, and are responsive to the environment and any changes within, such as the occupants, investigators, visitors, renovations and even rearranging of furniture. These human-like attributes suggest that they once were living human beings, giving credence to our beliefs.

The entities involved in an Intelligent haunting, also known as an Active Haunting, are usually attached to a particular residence or building, area of land, an object, or at times, even a certain person, although they are free to move around. They may have once lived in the residence, maybe worked in the building, may have owned a particular object that you now own and may even be present to be close to or protect a loved one. They may be tied to a place because it's where they were met with an unfortunate traumatic death, such as a suicide, murder or accident (also true in Residual Hauntings), or a place they adored, like a former home. In rare cases they have been documented in video or photo in the form of apparitions or mist-like shapes. Their disembodied voices have been captured on audio in the form of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). The majority of the time, they have no desire in harming you and may not even be aware that they are causing you problems or frightening you. The entity may not even be aware that they have passed away. An intelligent style haunting can be very stressful for a person or family, especially children and those who are sensitive.
A lot of times the spirit may be trying to communicate with you. It may need help, may be afraid to cross the planes or existence, may have unfinished business, may be looking for someone or may simply not want to leave. The spirit can also be present because a person that is sensitive may be able to see, hear or sense them, and in many cases this may be a child. They can even be present to warn you of danger or help you in another form. Whatever the reason for their presence, they are there, and when they realize they are being noticed, they may continue with their actions. Some believe it's possible to help these spirits, although it usually takes an experienced investigator or medium to do so.

Negative HauntingsWe consider negative hauntings, sometimes referred to as demonic hauntings, to be in the same category as Intelligent Hauntings. Demons are a product of Christianity and belief in them varies from person to person, religion to religion. So for that reason, we refer to any type of negative or dark haunting simply as 'Negative'.
Negative entities are beings of intelligence, wit and power. They have the ability to invade our homes, attach themselves to objects and humans and cause both mental and emotional trauma. Negative entities are most commonly seen as black masses standing in doorways or in corners of the room, and contrary to most belief, you won't see them as long-horned, "goat-looking" or "Ram-headed" creatures; These are typical fictional visions of demons. Most negative entities like a challenge and are incredibly conniving; They may have you believing they are good spirits or may appear to have gone away, only to confront you again at the least expected and most vulnerable moment. Their main goal is to break down a person's free will in order to make way for oppression.
Negative hauntings usually start in a subtle way: Faucets dripping, scratches in the walls, thumping sounds, knocking. These behaviors typically share the characteristics of a poltergeist haunting, but will become more extreme. As the seriousness progresses, your blankets may be pulled off the bed, things fall off the walls, perhaps the bed shakes violently, maybe you begin hearing growling sounds. Why is it doing this? Because it wants you to know it's in control and wants you to fear it. Negative hauntings feed off this energy... and it can be taxing if you are off guard.Fear is what the negative entity needs, so the more you fear it, the stronger it becomes. Once they succeed in creating an atmosphere of fear, they start to exaggerate their powers, then the personal attacks begin....scratches on the skin, pushing, shoving, hitting. The air in the affected area will feel thick like fog and the temperature will drastically change, usually becoming warmer, which is the opposite from a human entity attempting to manifest (although decreasing temperatures have been noted with demonic hauntings as well).
It's common for several entities to exist in one location with a strong evil presence seemingly controlling the others. These negative entities come into our world through a gateway.... and it's often either a cave, a well, or natural hole in the earth...and normally not more than 10 or 20 feet away from a haunting. Places that are believed to have crossing "Ley Lines" also act as a magnet or portal for negative entities, as well as other types. Another way for them to enter is through a "door", usually opened delving into some form of black magic, witchcraft, or demonic worship. In this case, the person most likely doesn't know what they have gotten themselves into unless it's done deliberately. It's always a safe bet to stay away from these temptations unless you know what you're doing. The unfortunate thing about negative hauntings is that the longer it's allowed to remain, the stronger it becomes.